Description
Refreshing watermelon honey showcases summer’s sweetest essence, blending ripe fruit with golden nectar. Culinary enthusiasts can easily craft this simple two-ingredient syrup to elevate desserts and beverages.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 large watermelon
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ tbsp (7.4 ml) water
Instructions
- Preparation: Sanitize work surfaces and tools, then select a ripe, vibrant watermelon. Slice and remove green rind and black seeds, cubing the red flesh into uniform chunks.
- Puree: Blend watermelon pieces in a high-powered blender until smooth and liquid-like, ensuring no solid fragments remain.
- Reduction: Transfer puree to a heavy-bottomed pot, heating over medium-high heat until reaching a rolling boil. Immediately reduce to low, creating a gentle simmer to concentrate natural sweetness.
- Simmering: Maintain low heat, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent scorching. Continue for 90-120 minutes, watching for a thick, glossy jam-like consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
- Cooling and Storage: Remove from heat and cool completely at room temperature. Ladle into sterilized glass jars, leaving minimal headspace. Seal tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, ready to use as a natural sweetener.
Notes
- Select Perfect Watermelon: Choose a heavy, symmetrical watermelon with deep red flesh and minimal white streaks, indicating peak ripeness and maximum sweetness.
- Prevent Burning: Stir mixture frequently and maintain low, consistent heat to avoid scorching, which can create bitter flavors and ruin the delicate honey-like reduction.
- Watch Consistency Carefully: Monitor the mixture’s thickness by coating a spoon – when it smoothly covers the back without immediately dripping, the watermelon honey is perfectly reduced.
- Storage Tips: Use clean, sterilized glass jars and store in refrigerator, consuming within 2 weeks for optimal flavor and food safety, as natural reduction lacks commercial preservatives.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Drinks, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 92
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 1 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg